A/N: April Fools teaser! Trololol! XD

I know I've been slacking on this, and updates have been horrendously lacking even though this story as a whole is drawing to a close, but for some reason I just have little to no drive to finish this. I did manage to get this little half-chapter up, but for now… I don't know when the next part will be. So sorry, but life tends to be a harsh mistress.

I'll see you guys again soon. Hope you enjoy, regardless of the lackluster length.

Now I don't know about you, but I don't think the primary purpose of your life, of my life, and the entirety of the human race is just to blindly consume to support a failing economy and a faulty system for ever and ever until we run out of every resource and have to resort to blowing each other up to ensure our own survival. I don't think we're supposed to sit by idle while we continue to use a long outdated system that produces war, poverty, collusion, corruption, ruins our environment, and threatens every aspect of our health, and does nothing but divide and segregate us. I don't think how much military equipment we're selling to other countries, how many hydrocarbons we're burning, how much money is being printed and exchanged is a good measure of how healthy our society is.

But I do think I can speak for everyone when I say:

We're sick of this shit!

*Enter Shikari – Gandhi Mate, Gandhi*

Chapter 21: The Purge (Part 1)

"Okay, Minister Muzzin, your paperwork has been approved," the politician's personal coyote nurse said, forcing a smile as she approached the wolf. Muzzin's deep yellow eyes opened at the sound of her voice, but a rather nasty scowl followed.

"What are you talking about?" he snapped.

Her ears folded back in submission. "Your reconstructive surgery," she squeaked out. "Our best surgeons said they would be able to rebuild your… uh… destroyed anatomic structure. When they get done, it will be like you were never in here to begin with."

His scowl faded. "Wait, they can fix me?"

"It'll be entirely synthetic, but yes, they can," she answered.

Muzzin couldn't help but lick his chops at that revelation. "Very impressive," he grinned, nodding his head gently. "Could you do me a favor, Miss Carrie?"

Carrie nervously looked around the room, trying to avoid eye contact with the predatory wolf. "Okay…"

"Could you tell the doctors to… maybe add a bit down there?" Muzzin said with a smirk. "I don't want to embarrass myself, but my wife—before those damn humans took her away from me—always said I was a bit too small. Would it be too troublesome to ask them to reconstruct me in a better way, for lack of a better term?"

Blushing, Carrie replied, "Oh, uh, okay. I'll write your request down."

As the coyote scribbled in Muzzin's unabashed request, he snapped his fingers at her.

"Oh, hey, one more thing," the lupine said, gesturing one of his clawed digits towards himself. The nurse's ears couldn't have been more flat as she slowly approached his bedside.

"Yes; sir?" her voice cracked slightly in apparent fear. Muzzin reached out and gingerly grabbed her wrist, but she refused to scream, as much as she wanted to. His thumb caressed the back of her paw as he smiled weakly at her.

"Please, it's Victor," he said with such an inviting tone that it seemed as though a different person had said it from within him. "No need for formalities here, okay?"

Carrie cocked her head at the sheer flip in the red wolf's disposition. "Uh, okay?"

"Here, I want to fill you in on something," Muzzin stated, his yellow eyes wandering around the room in a paranoid and hesitant way, completely contrasting his usual demeanor. Once he figured that the room seemed safe enough, he continued in a hushed voice, "You remind me a lot of my wife, before she passed."

Carrie's icy blue eyes slightly widened. "Oh…?"

Muzzin sighed, acting more vulnerable than he had in quite some time. "Gentle… caring… beautiful… someone I could never replace."

The coyote blushed slightly, suppressing a giggle at the compliment. "Thank you… Victor…"

Muzzin smiled warmly, but again, he only sighed afterward, absentmindedly staring out of his window as he gently held the young nurse's paw. Memories of a better time flashed across his eyes like an old film as he watched the clouds dance across the sky, while the sun slowly crept over the horizon, painting the surroundings in splendid and diverse colors. That sight seemed to breathe reassurance into the injured Minister… or at least a bit of comfort.

"I want it back."

That simple sentence was blurted out so quickly that Carrie barely had time to process it. "What?" she asked intently.

"I want it back," he repeated, forcing his eyes off of the sunrise and onto Carrie's confused expression. "Simple times. Happy times. The calm before those damn humans came in and fucked everything up."

Carrie stayed silent out of respect, but a little grin crept onto one side of her muzzle to insist that he continue.

Muzzin shut his eyes as he let his head fall into his pillow. "It really hit me when all of the pain medications wore off," he continued in a soft, weakened voice. "I realized how close I was to bleeding out earlier this week... How close I was to dying… Yet, it wasn't myself I was worried about. For the first time, I didn't worry about myself… I thought of my family. …Of all the things I could have thought about, my wind wandered back to them…"

A single, tiny tear fell down his cheek, so small that the nurse almost failed to notice it.

"I want them back," he said, his voice beginning to quiver. "They brought me ease. Peace of mind. They provided a calm to my strained nerves. Those first two years I held in office were perfect because I knew that I had a loving wife and a young son to come home to. I loved them, just like I loved my people when I took office…

"…Was I a hero? My son thought I was, but in some people's minds, I was too. Am I perfect? Absolutely not. But at least I know that there are some things that are worth fighting for in life, and if I can't fight for my family anymore, I'll fight for the people who idolize me as if I am their father."

Muzzin finally opened his eyes to his nurse, completely glazed over with tears. "I honestly feel regret in my selfish acts towards the people who revered me. They trusted me to get them out of the age of the First Contact, and I couldn't let that incident down. My wife and son were gone because of them. Yet… they were two drops into a lake of people that perished. I couldn't let that tragedy leave my office for one second because of how terribly it affected us. I firmly believe that got us in the hot water we're in now… all because I can't get out of the past anymore."

His grip on Carrie's paw tightened. "I want to get out of the past, Carrie. I want to put everything behind me, become a new leader… regain my people's trust. I know I've done way too many awful and selfish acts to completely regain my people's approval, but the least I can do is turn a new page and attempt to reconstruct this failing coalition. I want to reaffirm my people's loyalty… keep those who are loyal and wish to continue to be loyal to the coalition… and purge those who still resent me, and hate me even through all I have sacrificed."

Carrie, truthfully, didn't know how to respond.

"I know how to restart the diplomatic side of my life," he commented, a weak, tentative grin creeping up on his muzzle as he fought the urge to lick his lips. "But restarting my personal life will take years to reform, and I can't do it alone. Like I told you, Carrie, you remind me of my late wife… and I loved her very much. …Do you understand where I am going with this?"

Carrie couldn't help but blush again. "I think I do," she said with a bit of a lighthearted giggle.

"Will you walk with me through this new chapter?" Muzzin asked with sincerity. "Not as a crutch, but as a partner. Someone I can go to when times are hard. I don't want to try to influence you, but this should be a great honor for you. Think about it… you'll be the most powerful woman in the system."

Carrie giggled and pulled her arm free. "On one condition," she said with a slight tone of playful teasing, something Muzzin caught and instantly smirked at. "I want you to promise me a few things."

"Anything," he said intently. "Name your price."

"First thing; if I'm going to be your second in command, I want to be treated that way. Pay, respect, power, and anything else."

Muzzin nodded his head. "And…?"

She shot Muzzin a devilish smirk. "Second… I can see that you love me, but if you want me to love you back, you'll need to prove yourself capable of love again. I'm not trying to be mean and exploit you, Victor; I'm just… I need time with it, okay?"

"I understand," the lupine gently smiled. "You're still young. A lot younger than me. And I understand that I got you in a weird situation. You're trying to test the waters, no?"

"Right," Carrie answered, her voice hitting a more vulnerable pitch. "I mean… I've never had anybody tell me that I mean so much to them."

"You saved my life, Carrie," Muzzin politely interrupted. "I shouldn't have lived. I owe my life to you."

Carrie smiled sheepishly. "Please, I'm just your nurse."

"But you comforted me, the dick of a person I was," he assured her. "You did things nobody would even dare to do, and that's why I fell in love with you. You may not feel the same, and I respect you if you don't feel that way, but… I'd be willing to work with you. Would that be okay?"

"Yes," she grinned. "That will be okay."

Muzzin bit his lip to keep himself from shedding tears. "Thank you."

Carrie felt his heartfelt emotion. It was strong. Very strong. It was as if the years of pent up emotions after the events of the First Contact suddenly broke loose like a broken dam. Never had she seen him so vulnerable. So… Cornerian. He finally seemed to step off his pedestal of self-proclaimed infallibility as head of the LHC and assumed a more mortal mindset… something the LHC needed instead of an ambitious, power hungry leader. Now, he was far from perfect, but he finally showed a little sense of empathy, even beneath the cruel leader he became.

"I want to apologize," Muzzin sighed. "But they won't take it. Not unless I step down. But Lylat isn't ready for an election. Not now… war is looming, and a political scene will only cause more chaos. I need to rewrite my legacy… I need to rewrite my name."

He turned his muzzle up to her and let a warm smile surface. "What a better time than now, no?"

Carrie merely nodded, smiling back.

"Was there something else?" he asked. "Something else you needed?"

"Yes," the coyote said, kneeling down by his bedside. "I want you to promise me that we'll never go to war with Veris. Ever."

Muzzin nodded without any hesitation. "Don't worry, my dear. I'll try to make amends. It only seems—"

The red wolf suddenly gasped, flushing pale as his heart rate monitors suddenly spiked.

"Shit! The Destroyers!"

\/##########\/

The air in the interview room felt as tense as a string threatening to snap under all of the overwhelming force.

The room Joel, Skae, and Spencer were confined to was comprised of a gunmetal gray with tightly woven carpet so course it almost felt like twine on a scratching post. The two Fichinians and solitary human sat bound to the table in the center of the room; two of the three casting glares at the vulpine in the room.

"This is your fault Spencer," Skae seethed, causing the vulpine's ears to fold flat against his head. "If you didn't fly off the handle we wouldn't be here. We were almost home free. We were trying to run you—"

"Easy Skae," Joel tried to calm his lupine mate. "After what his teammates made him do, on top of the psychic abuse he was going through, it really couldn't be helped. I personally don't blame him, even if he killed one of my best friends."

Again, a glare was cast his way, but he stayed silent and kept his head down

"Easy for you to say," the she-wolf growled though her teeth, but didn't challenge Joel. "They probably would have ignored us if you would've just stayed away from him."

"Hey, you pointed him out," Joel argued. "I'm not taking the blame here."

"You should've just stayed at the table and let Spencer rat us out," Skae said with a bitter tone directed at the vulpine. "At least we might've had a chance to escape. Now we're dead."

"Don't say that," Joel interrupted. "Just let me find a way out of this. I'll try to—"

The door suddenly hissed open, casting a wide glare of light to wash over the trio. A shadow partially blocked out that bright illumination, but before they could see the shadow printed against the ground, the door shut behind the figure. The moment Skae saw the rank on the Verian's chest, in addition to the royal crest adorning his set of armor, she knew that they were all screwed beyond help.

"I trust the yellow-necks weren't too rough on you," Knight Captain Falx spoke, mixing an honest, yet sarcastic tone to try to eliminate a chunk of the visible hostility. "Now, where to begin with you three…"

All of them refused to answer as Jona thought to himself.

"Well, first thing I want to know is what the hell were you two thinking?" Jona asked with a slight sneer, staring directly at the two insurgents with a glare that would paralyze a normal person in fear. "And I don't want to hear that shit of your name, rank, birthday, and identification number. Instead, I'll introduce your face to this table; First Lieutenant Joel McClellan — ID number 432-35-1187."

Joel's eyes exploded out of his skull. "How…?"

"You would be surprised how useful technology can be when applied correctly and respectfully," Jona answered with a smirk. "Your face, retina, fingerprints, and voice are all identification marks. They make for a great way to put a given name to a given face without having to result to more… degrading means of interrogation."

"You've hacked Torus…" Joel spat in disbelief.

"Well, if your race is going to build an orbital base, next time don't base it off of Verian architecture and circuitry, because that's just begging for us to get involved," Jona smiled knowingly. "You claim that Torus is impenetrable. Yes, I agree, but against the wrong people, my friend, Torus is nothing more than a bump in our road. Now we basically know of almost every living being of your world, and everything about your world in general."

After a pause, the Guardian added, "Now… We already know of your mission in Lylat, but I want to hear it from you first-hand, if you don't mind. I seem to recall you saying you would like to reconcile for your transgressions, so go ahead and start now while I'm in a good mood."

"Revenge…" Joel uttered. "Mounting a counter-attack on Corneria to make them pay for what they did to us." He hung his head in shame. "We just wanted to teach them a lesson, and we failed… we just made things worse."

Jona nodded and hummed in accordance. "And you, Miss Skae?" he asked, his tone remaining even. "My grandfather tried to keep the transports consistent. What went wrong?"

"I just wanted to kill Muzzin," Skae admitted through clenched teeth. "Avenge my parents… avenge my neighbors and friends... …I wanted Muzzin to suffer as we had suffered…"

"Revenge has no place in life," Jona informed them, his tone suddenly becoming very stern and authoritative despite being level and rather calm. "Killing because someone has wronged you is senseless. Those that die in the name of vengeance die a pointless and meaningless death. Vengeance fuels rage, anger and hatred; taking somebody far from the righteous path. If your mission would have been a success, your actions would have endangered the lives of millions… billions living in this system. All for what? Revenge for the unjust deaths of a large portion of your village, or a wrongful attack on your home?"

Jona took a breath and walked around the table. "You two forget your true duties as soldiers. You don't fight for yourselves! You don't fight for countries, flags, generals, or presidents; and certainly not for vengeance! Your duty, no matter where you came from, what your skin is made of, or what you fight for, the people is what you're supposed to be protecting!"

His anger started to lace his tone. "Did you even know what you were doing was wrong before you even did it?"

"I was following orders," Joel murmured. "I knew attacking Cerinia was the wrong call, but I didn't realize it until after we did it. It was all that damn Verian Aeon's fault!"

"Joel…" Skae whispered.

"He's the true reason for all this hell!" he started to rage, but Jona started to chuckle, inadvertently irritating him even more. "And what the fuck is so funny, huh?"

"Aeon Darkon, my paternal half-brother, is dead," Jona informed them. "He was killed in a raid on Papetoon, along with his entire circle of advisors. And personally, I'm glad he's dead. Even if his ideals were not of his own right mind, it's one less thorn in my grandfather's side, and my own for that matter."

Joel just growled at him. "What, do you think this is some kind of cruel joke?" he snapped, referencing Jona's vague, sarcasm-laced voice. "Your brother caused almost my entire squad to die! You think that's funny, scalie?

Ignoring the derogatory term, Jona rebuked, "Aeon directed you to attack Cerinia, a world that is even more underdeveloped than your own." Smirking at his own fire-back, he continued, "He did that to try to manipulate us into attacking Corneria, but it seems that you failed to realize who you were trying to antagonize. You failed to realize how many of us vowed to protect that planet and its inhabitants with our lives, and had those vows broken because of the actions of a barbaric, primitive race."

Anger returning in Jona's voice, the Verian ranted, "You antagonized Veris Alpha, and if that wasn't bad enough, you antagonized Prince Jona Halrand-Falx, someone who holds the Cerinian race deep within his heart. You murdered two of my charges. Your men raped and killed innocent women, burned their village, slaughtered men, women, children, elderly; all innocent people that had nothing to do with the war between you and Corneria six years ago. You killed my mentor, nearly killed my mate, and hurt my only remaining charge in a way that I cannot fix, all because you wanted revenge on someone who misleadingly wronged you?! Do you realize how absurd this sounds?!"

After a brief pause to calm himself down, Jona sighed, "By attacking Cerinia, you violated their laws, ours, the Cornerians, and your own; and you don't want to know how bad of a résumé you put together in just these short two weeks." He lifted his forearm up and started reading the display on his TRCS, "As per the your Uniform Code of Military Justice—and yes, before you ask Lieutenant, I researched it—you and your squad have personally violated several articles in your original failed attempt to frame Corneria. The articles that have my attention are 102, 109, 118 and 128 to name a few."

"I'm also guilty of a few 134s." Joel deadpanned, which earned him a glare from Jona and a somewhat confused look from Skae.

"Care to enlighten her Lieutenant?" Jona said with a slightly taunting tone.

Joel moaned and looked over to his girlfriend. "102: Forcing a safeguard; basically attacking the Cerinians, engaging them and neutralizing that Guardian—"

"That Guardian was Knight Commander Roja Griess, Commanding Officer of the local protection garrison," Jona interrupted. "My mentor, as well as a husband to a Cerinian wife and a father of three—one of which will grow up never even meeting him. I hope that alone makes you realize what horrid acts you have committed, and will allow for a true change of heart, if I'll even allow it."

Jona shook his head after a brief pause. "Continue, Terran."

At the prompt the soldier continued, "109: waste, spoilage, or destruction of property other than the property of the Earth military. We did destroy quite a few things over there. Killed quite a few people too."

"A few," Jona scoffed. "Don't even make me retrieve the list of the hundreds of Cerinians that were slaughtered at your hands. In short, all of them had some sort of family they left behind."

Joel sighed in overwhelming grief and humility, continuing against his will. "Article 118 and 128, murder and assault respectively… I think that goes without saying."

"And 134?" Skae asked.

"Violation of general regulations. Basically, that can be anything that's considered a disorder to the order and integrity of the military services."

The room went silent when he finished. But Spencer started to whimper as tears streamed down his face; his guilt all too evident. Jona noticed his overwhelming psychological pain and stepped behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Spencer here knew what he was doing was wrong before you two realized it," Jona said with a tone of reassurance. "Though your team forced him against his morals, urging him to rape a Cerinian vixen, he had no malice against the Cerinians, which I believe is pardonable. But, only by one specific request from the vixen in question."

"What?" Spencer whimpered in submission.

"She wishes to meet you, Mr. Frost," the dragon spoke with a soft smile. "Her name is Lisa, by the way. Very beautiful, very young vixen. Usually Cerinian women wait until they're past their age of dependence to request to bare kits, but since your actions impregnated her at the young age of fifteen, she was forced to make an exception, as they believe contraception is an action punishable by cursing and execution. But, when I talked to her when you called to arrange this meeting, she told me that she knew that you were pushed to do it… that's why she didn't resist."

"She… doesn't blame me?" Spencer asked in a feeble tone.

"She blames you for getting her pregnant," Jona reiterated. "But she doesn't blame you for what you did. A telepath can always tell. But, I'd suggest arranging an apology for her, forcing her to grow up at a young age and all. And I'd be willing to bet that she wishes for you to help her take care of the baby. If you agree, I'll drop your charges of manslaughter and let you go free, but with constant monitoring, obviously."

"I'll do it," Spencer blurted out without hesitation. "It's the least I can do. Thank you, Captain."

Jona nodded at him, traveling around the table to face Joel and Skae from the opposite side. "Ordinarily you two would be executed for such a radical act of terrorism and willfully collaborating with a known enemy of the kingdom," he said at the couple, a frown creasing his snout. "Sending you home, Lieutenant, would be a death sentence too, for both your parents have been made aware of your transgressions, and even if your mother is the head of your government, she can't hide the fact that her son is a murderer. You, Skae, were acting as a separatist; Muzzin would execute you on the spot."

"We're fucked either way," Joel grumbled.

"Not necessarily," Jona countered. "The thing that is keeping me from making this all too easy decision is your change of heart. A Verian can interpret that change in mental aura… determine if it is genuine. I do admire the fact that you two overcame the xenophobic shroud clouding your inner judgement, a sign of true understanding in this conflict. Since you two repeatedly said that you wish to reconcile for the wrongs you've done, I'm willing to give you two an option. Should you choose to accept it is all up to your decision."

The newly mated couple looked to each other, Joel gave a nod. "What are your terms?"

"You both have a lengthy blood debt," Jona announced, resting his hands on the table. "But your skill should not be wasted on the wrong side of morality. I would be willing to take you two under my wing and form a task force with my closest friends and advisors. Our combined knowledge in our specific combat fields could be a turning point in the conflict. You can redeem yourselves."

Jona took a breath and added, "You'll be treated equally and will receive a portion of pay for your service, but I cannot discharge you until it is deemed that your blood debt to the Cerinians and the Cornerians is repaid."

"And if we refuse?" Joel dared to ask.

Jona's expression became grim. "You, Lieutenant, will be executed either by the Cerinians or your own government. I cannot change that sentence. Your mate, Skae, will be executed or sterilized."

Skae yipped and paled at the last bit of information. Joel noticed her reaction, as he knew that sterilization was a fate worse than death for a female; being used as a toy and all.

"Joel," the she-wolf squeaked, gently shaking her head at him. "Don't let them… please…"

Skae's heartfelt plea was quite an influential marker in Joel's decision, but this was something completely different. At first he and Skae were just going to run away and abandon their cause, but if they accepted they would be going completely against their cause. Treason; something Joel swore on his life never to break. He was stretching it in his decision to flee, but fighting against his own military?

Joel looked at Skae with trembling eyes. "Skae, I…"

"You're not considering against it, are you?" she whimpered.

"It's my family," Joel whispered.

"Joel, I'm your family now," Skae argued softly. "Your parents will kill us if we get sent back. I want to stay. I'll repay my debt." She turned to Jona, repeating, "I'll repay my debt. I accept."

Jona nodded. "And you, Joel? Surely you want to stay by your mate's side?"

"I don't want to leave her," Joel admitted. "But I need more time to think."

"Fair enough," Jona grunted, backing away from the table. "I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you. I do expect an answer when I get back, Lieutenant."

Joel nodded in affirmation.

"In the meantime, Spencer, let's—"

Jona stopped himself when the floor beneath him shook with enough ferocity to knock him off balance. Several alarms immediately began to blare throughout the station as yet another bout of rocking almost threw Jona off of his feet. Snarling to himself as the shaking subsided, Jona growled something indistinguishable in a Verian language into his transmitter; the same language responding.

"What's going on?" Skae whimpered.

Jona glared at the human bound at the table, a new fire brewing in his blood red irises.

"I think your father just declared you a liability, Joel."